For some time now, I have been trying to cut back on my soda habits.

This seems like a simple enough task, in trying to be more healthy. However, as caffeine is an addiction, much like cigarettes and even heroin, support is essential. While my support system includes numerous people, from my husband, to friends, to my doctor, it is just not enough. My healthy habits are being hindered by the one place where I am supposed to be able to better my life- my school. Now, this may seem exaggerated and silly, but it is certainly a concern of mine, and my peers.

The issue came up today as I went through my daily routine, consisting of hours of classes, study, and homework. While taking my break from the busy day- that all college students surely face- I decided to grab some lunch to take back to my work space in the computer lab, as per routine. When I got through the long line of hard-working students, I had a simple request. With my blueberry bagel, all I wanted was a large ice water, rather than my usual intake of Mountain Dew. As I eagerly searched for that crinkled, old, five dollar bill, the employee sets down what appears to be a medicine cup. Looking up from my purse she explains that they can no longer give out the disposable pepsi cups unless the customer purchases a drink. What? In order to have a 16 oz cup of tap water we have to spend the entire $1.75 plus tax- which we could just as easily spend on a “non-refillable” cup of soda? How absurd! Begrudgingly, I purchased a soda.

Upon returning to the computer lab, I talked with some friends about the infuriating new policy of the FSA Cafe - McEwen. Apparently there have been numerous students who have been bothered by the “disposable cup conundrum”. I decided to do some light research about how much money the cafe is saving by enacting their new standards. What I discovered is that generally, a 16 oz disposable cup costs 0.039 US cents. This includes the straw and lid. So, for every student and staff member with the desire to quench their thirst with refreshing, free, tap water, the cafe would lose less than 4 pennies.

Considering their are roughly 4,800 students attending Suny Fredonia, the estimated number would be less than a $200 loss if every single student asked for tap water with their purchas. The likelihood of this situation even arising is clearly rare. And when putting this number up against the over priced items at any campus store and cafe it is rather insignificant. On top of that, the 5 oz medicine cups are not free either. Each cup costs about 0.0299 US cents, and they don’t come with any lids or straws. The 16 oz cups hold more than 3 times the capacity than the 5 oz cups and are less than 0.01 difference in price. So, if every student wanted tap water with their purchases, the cafe would lose about 144 dollars, compared to the 187 dollars when they served it in the normal sized cups. That is 43 USD difference. But, if every student wanted the standard 16oz of water they would need to use more than 3 medicine cups. Now they are losing money!

In conclusion, this new policy is absurd. It is not efficient for the business, it’s not efficient for the students, and it is certainly not helpful for my desire to be more healthy. If Fredonia students would stand together to protest this ridiculous standard, we could make a change to better ourselves and our school. Who knows where we could go from there. Perhaps a negotiation on the overpriced food and store items would be in order. Surely Suny Fredonia is not the only college with ridiculous policies. Share this article to make people aware of these unnecessary restrictions within schools everywhere.

We want water Fredonia!